The Vegan Guide to Worcestershire Sauce
What is Worcestershire sauce good for? Worcestershire sauce can add a bold, savory kick to salads, soups, stews, marinades, cocktails, sauces, and more. But depending on the brand you choose, your Bloody Mary or otherwise vegan Caesar Salad might contain something fishy.
Is Worcestershire Sauce Vegan?
Although many Worcestershire sauces are vegan, some contain the fermented flesh of anchovies. Anchovies are small fish who spend their lives swirling in massive schools of thousands. They often swim with their mouths wide open to gather their favorite snack, phytoplankton.
Anchovies are often stolen from their ocean homes by trawlers—enormous bag-shaped nets pulled along the ocean floor, capturing everything in their path. These nets rip hundreds of tons of fish out of the ocean, squeezing some of them so tightly against the sides that their eyes bulge and burst out of their skulls. When hauled out of the water, surviving fish, shrimp, and other sea animals undergo excruciating decompression. The intense internal depressurization can pop out their eyes, and push their esophagi and stomachs out through their mouths. The fishing industry kills more fish each year than all other animals used for food combined.
What Brands of Worcestershire Sauce Are Vegan?
Thankfully, plenty of fish-free Worcestershire sauce brands are on the market. Instead of sensitive fish, vegan Worcestershire sauces use ingredients such as tamarind, molasses, and vinegar to create the same complex, tangy, delicious flavor without harming animals.
Five Anchovy-Free Worcestershire Sauce Brands to Try
- Affordable, organic, and fish-free, Whole Foods Market 365 Organic Worcestershire Sauce delivers all the savory goodness you need for everyday cooking.
- Kroger’s Worcestershire sauce is vegan, wallet-friendly, and delivers classic flavor, making it a perfect pantry staple.
- Wan Ja Shan offers a vegan Worcestershire made with all-natural ingredients. It’s slightly sweet, deeply umami, and is great for marinating, grilling, and use in sauces.
- Urban Platter’s vegan Worcestershire uses a delicious blend of dates, apricots, black currants, and mango to add sweetness, and tamarind and ginger to create the tangy, umami flavor.
- The Wizard’s Sauces makes some magically good organic, vegan Worcestershire sauce. Packed with bold, zippy flavor—and zero anchovies—it’s perfect for marinades, veggie burgers, and cocktails.
Get Saucy—Go Vegan Today!
By using fish-free Worcestershire sauce and other vegan ingredients in your meals, you’re taking a simple but powerful step toward a healthier, more compassionate life. Every time we choose vegan foods and encourage those around us to do the same, we’re saying “No” to industries that treat animals like things instead of individuals who want to live. Please join the 3-week Vegan Challenge and kickstart your vegan journey.
As an Amazon Associate, PETA earns from qualifying purchases. If you buy something after clicking the Amazon links on this page, a percentage of the qualifying purchase will be donated to PETA and help us protect more animals from exploitation.
Text VEG to 73822 to get the latest vegan lifestyle tips, recipes, and urgent action alerts texted right to your phone.
Terms for automated texts/calls from PETA: https://peta.vg/txt. Text STOP to end, HELP for more info. Msg/data rates may apply. U.S. only.
Wondering if Dubai chocolate is vegan? Discover the ingredients and how you can get a vegan version of this social media superstar.
Whether you’re cooking for a date night or just looking to level up your kitchen game, vegan cooking classes are a fun, flavorful way to make a difference for animals, one meal at a time.
Did you know you can make delicious vegan cheese out of cashews? Cashew cheese is better for animals, your health, and the planet. Find recipes and vegan brands to try!
Since oysters don’t have a central nervous system, does that mean that oyster sauce can be considered vegan?
